Until I moved away from my grandmother, I would make it a point to surprise her with not only a complete dinner, but also a nice dessert. Every year, I would come up with a new dessert to treat the woman who raised me and it had to be good =) This was one of her favorites and she asked for it this year as well. One great thing about this dessert is how light it is!

Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1 egg white

1-1/4 cups water

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

FROSTING:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons fat-free milk

1/2 cup 100% raspberry spreadable fruit

Combine the cake mix, eggs, egg white, water and applesauce then beat on low speed for around 30 seconds. Turn the mixer on medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into two 9 inch round baking pans coated with cooking spray and lined with a parchment round of the same size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans to cool completely.

For frosting, beat first four frosting ingredients until smooth. Then beat in enough milk to reach a thick, but spreadable consistency.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with the spreadable fruit. Put the second layer on top of the first, making sure to line it up and frost top of cake.

**For a nice garnish, candy some lemon peel, sugar some raspberries and pile on the top of the frosting.**

**Photo is the property of Taste of Home I don’t own the rights to this photo**

When I did my internship, I experienced a great deal of amazing pastries that I would have normally passed up. My tastes were somewhat picky and up until that point I didn’t care for blueberries, raspberries or any kind of fruity pie filling. After being coaxed into trying one of their raspberry cherry bars, I opened my mind (and my mouth) to every opportunity I had to try new desserts. Which makes sense, seeing as I am now a pastry chef!

While it is technically “illegal” to share with you the recipe they used, I found this recipe online and tested it a while back. It’s not quite the same, but it is still delicious! I hope you enjoy it =)

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and position an oven rack in the center. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with foil across the bottom and up the two long sides, then lightly coat with melted butter, oil, or high-heat canola-oil spray.

Make the crumble dough. Place the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on low speed until evenly mixed (or place in a food processor and process for 5 seconds). Add the cold butter and mix on low speed until the mixture looks like wet sand and starts to form clumps, 5 to 6 minutes (or process for 45 to 60 seconds, pausing to scrape down once with a spatula).

Divide the dough in half. Pat one half into an even layer in the prepared pan. Set the other half aside. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a rack and cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on.

Make the filling. Empty the jam into a medium bowl and stir well to break up any lumps. Add the cherries and stir until well mixed and all the cherries are coated with ham. Spread evenly over the cooled crust, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly over the filling.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Transfer to a rack and cool completely, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

To serve, run a thin knife or spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen any dough or filling. Lift the cookies out using the foil as handles and place on a cutting surface. Cut into 3 by 1-inch bars. Just before serving, use the fine-mesh strainer to lightly dust the confectioners’ sugar over the cookies.